| The Thieves | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Choi Dong-hun |
| Starring | Lee Jung-jae Kim Yoon-seok Kim Hye-soo Jeon Ji-hyun |
| Country | South Korea Hong Kong |
| Language | Korean |
The Thieves (Hangul: 도둑들; RR: Dodookdeul; MR: Todukdŭl) is an upcoming heist film directed by Choi Dong-hun. Formerly titled The Professionals, this action thriller is about five-person group of Korea’s top thieves called out by their former boss Macao Park to steal a US$20 million blue diamond known as the Tear of the Sun. They descend on Macau where the gem is hidden away in a casino and team up to work side by side with a gang of four of Hong Kong’s top thieves.[1][2]
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This is Choi Dong-hun's fourth feature-length film, following his much-lauded debut The Big Swindle (2004) and box office hits Tazza: The High Rollers (2006) and Jeon Woo Chi (2009).[1]
In what was purported to be a Korean version of Hollywood film Ocean's Eleven, negotiations for casting several high-profile actors and actresses took place since late 2010.[1]
On March 21, 2011, film distributor Showbox confirmed the star-studded cast in a press release. Director Choi Dong-hun was quoted: "These are the very actors that inspired me to write what I have for the movie's script starting from its first line. I'm dreaming of creating explosive ensembles that will clash or harmonize within a single movie due to their different styles."[3]
Kim Yoon-seok, the main star of Jeon Woo Chi and The Chaser, will play Macao Park, a legendary gambler who plans out and commands the scheme to steal the Tears of the Sun diamond from Macau. Lee Jung-jae of film The Housemaid which competed at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, will be Popeye, the leader of a group of Korean thieves who secretly plots against Macao Park.[3]
Tazza heroine Kim Hye-soo will turn into a genius safe-cracker who teams with Popeye to get their revenge on Macao for betraying them in the past and Kim Hae-sook of Park Chan-wook's Cannes Award-winnning pic Thirst and Jeon Ji-hyun of My Sassy Girl will turn into a mother-and-daughter duo who are skilled at using acting and rope-walking techniques, respectively, to steal jewelries and antiques.[3]
Oh Dal-su, known as one of the best supporting actors in Korea, will show up as a Chinese thief named Andrew and Kim Soo-hyun (who had recently gained popularity through TV series Dream High) will take on the role of the daring Jampano, the youngest of the five-member Korean group of thieves.[3]
Hong Kong actors Angelica Lee and Simon Yam have also been cast. Yam will play the calm and experienced leader of a four-member Chinese thieves group, who only reluctantly agrees to join in the latest project in order to resolve his debts but comes to harbor unexpected feelings toward one of the female thieves from Korea. "How I hated him when I was young because he always appeared as the evil guy that killed all my heroes. Now that I will meet him, I will see how well an actor can age with time and experience," director Choi was quoted in a statement while expressing his expectations in getting to work with Yam.[4]
After six months of location shoots in Seoul, Busan, Macau and Hong Kong, filming wrapped up on December 7, 2011. Its release, previously signalled at the end of 2011, is now set for summer 2012.[5][6][2]